Folding step ladder



March 7, 1967' FOLDING. .STEP LADDER Filed July 16, 1965 N c. GREEN A T TORNEY United States Patent i 3,307,652 FGLDING STEP LADDER John C. Green, 2404 Handley Drive, Fort Worth, Tex. 76112 Filed .Fuly 16, 1965, Ser. No. 472,450 3 Claims. (Ill. 182-22) This invention relates to ladders and has reference to a step ladder having hinged legs.

An object of the invention is to adapt latches such as shown and described in my prior Patent No. 3,004,624 to the joints of a hinged step ladder.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved lateral support in the legs of a hinged step ladder at the hinge joints.

Another object is to provide a hinged step ladder which may be used in a low or high position with the bottom of the legs making fiat contact with the floor in either position.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a ladder according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the ladder in its folded position.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a joint of the ladder and showing the latch in its closed or locked position.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but showing the leg in a partially folded position.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the joint illustrated in FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the joint illustrated in FIGURE 5.

The ladder illustrated in the drawing is generally comprised of front and rear pairs of legs 10 and 11, a rectangular top platform 12 and steps 13 between the pairs of legs, all in the usual manner. The lower surface of the platform 12 has elongate parallel brackets 14 of angle iron to which the top ends of the rear legs 11 are riveted,

at 15, at an angle such that the platform is level when both front and rear legs are extended from each other. The top ends of the front legs 10 are pivoted, at 16, to the forward ends of the brackets 14.

Both the forward and rear legs 10 and 11 are divided between their ends where they are provided with hinges 16. As best shown in FIGURE 2, the front legs 10 are slightly longer than the rear legs 11 and the divisions are such that all legs stand perpendicular when the ladder is completely folded and when standing on a horizontal surface. On each upper portion of the front legs 10, and above the lower ends thereof, there are pivoted braces 17 which detachably engage pins 18 for holding the ladder in its expanded position as shown in FIGURE 1.

All four hinges 16 are identical in construction and their hinge points are located at the inner surfaces of the legs 10 and 11. Each hinge 16 has an upper and lower sleeve 19 and 20 which receive adjoining ends of upper and lower portions of the legs 10 and 11. The inner corners of the sleeves 19 and 20 have interfitting projecting ears 21 and 22, and which ears are hinged by pins 23.

A feature of the invention has to do with blocks 24 located on sides of the upper portions of the legs 10 and 11 and which blocks extend below said upper portions. The lower ends of the blocks are at angles a corresponding with angles b on the lower ends of the lower leg portions, both angles being such that they rest flat when the 3,307,652 Patented Mar. 7, 1967 ladder is in either its raised operating position or its low operating position.

There is a U-shaped member 25 of heavy sheet metal which is secured to the inner side surface and to the front surface of each upper sleeve 19 and is of a width to span the block 24 and engage the outer surface of the latter. On the outer surface of each lower leg portion 10, 11, there is a hook 26 of fiat sheet metal which is received in and extends through a slot 27 in the U-shaped member 25. A latch 28, also of sheet metal, is pivoted at one end of the U-shaped member 25 opposite the sleeve 13 and engages the hook 27 when the adjacent upper and lower leg portions are straight relative to each other. The length of each latch 28 is such that its free end extends beyond its adjacent block 24 where it is bent inwardly to provide a finger operating tab 29. Not shown, there is a groove in the inner surface of each block 24 for receiving the adjacent hook 26.

The blocks 24 not only protect the described hinge and latch mechanisms when the ladder is used as a short ladder, but additionally serves as reinforcing means against lateral forces when the ladder is used as a tall ladder.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A step ladder having front and rear pairs of legs and means hingedly connecting said legs in spaced relation at the upper ends thereof, steps between at least one pair of said legs, said legs being divided into upper and lower portions intermediate their ends, hinges connecting said upper and lower portions of said legs, the pivots of said hinges being located at the inner surfaces of said legs, the spaced relation at the upper end of said legs being of a distance suficient to accommodate said lower portions in side by side relation when folded adjacent said upper portions, latch means located opposite said hinges detach'ably securing said upper and lower portions, and blocks on the sides of said upper portions of said legs, said blocks extending below said upper portions to protect said hinges when said legs are folded.

2. A ladder as defined in claim 1 and wherein said latch means are comprised of U-shaped members mounted on said upper portions of said legs adjacent said hinges and engaging the outer surfaces of said blocks, an opening in each said Ushaped member between the adjacent said upper portion and its adjoining said block, a hook on each said lower portion positioned to extend partially into the associated said opening, and a latch on each said U-shaped member positioned to engage a said hook when received in said opening.

3. A ladder as defined in claim 1 and wherein the lower ends of said blocks are at angles to define a single plane when said legs are folded and the pairs of legs are extended from each other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 83,369 10/1868 Felker 16--146 352,922 11/1886 Hughes 182-24 383,243 5/1888 Peacock 182-24 1,456,886 5/1923 Gober 16146 1,479,628 1/ 1924 Seger 18224 1,520,570 12/1924 Haynes 16-146 2,481,581 9/1949 Ehnhuus 182-174 3,004,624 10/1961 Green 182157 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A STEP LADDER HAVING FRONT AND REAR PAIRS OF LEGS AND MEANS HINGEDLY CONNECTING SAID LEGS IN SPACED RELATION AT THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF, STEPS BETWEEN AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF SAID LEGS, SAID LEGS BEING DIVIDED INTO UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS, HINGES CONNECTING SAID UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID LEGS, THE PIVOTS OF SAID HINGES BEING LOCATED AT THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID LEGS, THE SPACED RELATION AT THE UPPER END OF SAID LEGS BEING OF A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO ACCOMMODATE SAID LOWER PORTIONS IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATION WHEN FOLDED ADJACENT SAID UPPER PORTIONS, LATCH MEANS LOCATED OPPOSITE SAID HINGES DETACHABLY SECURING SAID UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS, AND BLOCKS ON THE SIDES OF SAID UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID LEGS, SAID BLOCKS EXTENDING BELOW SAID UPPER PORTIONS TO PROTECT SAID HINGES WHEN SAID LEGS ARE FOLDED. 